Cross-border cooperation essential for the livelihoods of local communities
"Throughout the past year and a half, cross-border cooperation has faced its most significant setback in decades due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This crisis only emphasised the existing problems for the citizens living in border regions, in particular those related to transport and health. The experience of the pandemic has also shown that the mechanisms that exist along our borders are simply not sufficient for any sort of crisis on a larger scale. The Conference on the Future of Europe is an opportunity to create a cohesive and sustainable vision for cross-border cooperation in Europe." Ivan Žagar, Mayor of the Municipality of Slovenska Bistrica made these remarks during a Conference on the Future of Cross Border Cooperation organised by the European Committee of the Regions to discuss, in particular, the effects of the pandemic on cross-border cooperation.
Referring to lessons learnt from the pandemic, Žagar said that closing of borders across the EU put different sectors of the economy into a very difficult position, with some sectors, in certain regions, facing potential collapse. In this regard he said "This proves once again that cross-border cooperation is not only wanted by Europe's citizens, but it is essential for the livelihoods of many of them. It is therefore crucial to overcome cross-border obstacles in order to mobilise the opportunities that open borders offer to citizens and businesses and to take the necessary measures to achieve and maintain this even in a situation of crisis."
Žagar, who serves as the 1st Vice Chair of the CoR COTER Commission, said that notwithstanding the single market, citizens living in border regions continue to encounter difficulties in their daily lives, whether it be finding a job, accessing healthcare, everyday commuting or overcoming administrative problems. He added "Consultations with 340 cross-border regions showed that obstacles are still here, they still make the lives of our citizens, of our businesses, a challenge."
The event was also addressed by James Wesley Scott, Professor of Regional and Border Studies at the Karelian Institute at the University of Eastern Finland in Joensuu. He said that the future of cross-border cooperation will be key to address climate change and other societal challenges. He warned that disparities between border areas are most likely to increase describing this as a major challenge to European cohesion.
Resolution on the Future of cross-border cooperation in Europe
The internal border regions cover 40% of the EU's territory, accounting for 30% of its population which roughly accounts for 150 million people and hosting almost 2 million cross-border commuters. During last weeks' CoR Plenary Session, local and regional representatives adopted a resolution on the Future of cross-border cooperation in Europe to address challenges faced by these regions and their communities. It will serve as a contribution to the Conference on the Future of Europe, outlining concrete proposals on how to strengthen cross-border cooperation.
During a debate on the resolution, EPP-CoR members called for specific cross-border cooperation programmes to go beyond Interreg and the need to bounce back forward following the setback in cross-border cooperation due to the pandemic. Sonja Ledl-Rossman, President of the State Parliament of Tyrol said that the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly shown the importance of cross-border cooperation – especially at a regional level. Marjon De Hoon- Veelenturf, Mayor of the municipality of Baarle-Nassau emphasised the need to reverse the setback experienced during the pandemic and to put cross-border cooperation back at the top of the EU’s policy agenda!.
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